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Energy versus Climate Change

The Challenge

Both economic growth and climate change are powered by an increasing demand for energy, mainly fossil fuels. The puzzle is how to manage energy generation and demand so as to enable economic growth and deal with climate change.

The aim of the session is to explore the potential contributions of various solutions to the energy puzzle: decarbonizing energy supplies, switching to clean renewables, substituting low-carbon energy suppliers like gas for high-carbon energy sources like coal, increasing the share of nuclear energy or capturing and storing carbon. What is the optimal mix of such options? What is the politically feasible mix?

What policy instruments are required to implement this mix? What is the appropriate time frame for these policies in order to avert serious consequences of climate change?

Summary on a proposed Solution of Energy vs. Climate by Gerhard Knies, DESERTEC Project Director for the Club of Rome, [Email protection active, please enable JavaScript.], 08-2008, at the Global Economic Symposium GES2008, Kiel/Plön, DESERTEC: Clean power from deserts for a sustainable world with 10 billion people The world’s natural resources are overused already, by 6 billion people. Is the world ready to host 10 billion? They are on their way. Most of them live already now. Time is tight to get ready for 10 billion. Affordable and sufficient water, food and energy as well as a stable economy and climate are indispensible preconditions

Achieving a sustainable future balance between global economic growth, energy supply and climate protection is one of today’s greatest challenges. As stated by various sources like the International ...

Achieving a sustainable future balance between global economic growth, energy supply and climate protection is one of today’s greatest challenges. As stated by various sources like the International Energy Agency (IEA, OECD/IEA: World Energy Outlook 2007, Paris) or the Energy Information Administration (EIA: International Energy Outlook 2008, Highlights, June 2008) global energy demand will grow substantially and is predicted to be up to 50% higher in year 2030 compared to the year 2005 level. With a share of around 80%, non-OECD countries account for the bulk of this increase in energy demand driven by a strong economic growth in

The problem of global warming requires immediate reductions of carbon emissions. Limiting temperature increase below 2°C requires the reduction of worldwide average per capita emissions to 0.3t carbon annually which is equal to India’s level today. Such a great cut of the world’s emissions requires cumulative investments in energy supply infrastructure of $22 trillion by 2030. Consequently, energy R&D relative to GDP has to increase from over 0.02% today to about 0.08% in 2080. Policy should support all feasible energy sources so that technological innovations and market forces can reveal the most efficient options. The future energy portfolio will

Main Messages: Humanity is on a brink of a grand transition to be compared with the emergence of agriculture some 20 thousand years ago and the Industrial Revolution two centuries ago. The transition ...

Main Messages: Humanity is on a brink of a grand transition to be compared with the emergence of agriculture some 20 thousand years ago and the Industrial Revolution two centuries ago. The transition will no doubt transform the very fabric of societies and establish new techno-economic paradigms, however, the exact dynamics and direction of change is elusive. Scenarios as a kind of “future histories” are one of major methods for assessing the deep uncertainties associated with the wide range of plausible future developments, their consequences and possible tipping points. Integrated assessment combines the qualitative methods of storyline writing with

Related Challenges

The future global economy is likely to consume ever more energy, especially with the rising energy demand of developing countries such as China and India. At the same time, the tremendous risk of cl ...

The future global economy is likely to consume ever more energy, especially with the rising energy demand of developing countries such as China and India. At the same time, the tremendous risk of climate change associated with the use of fossil fuels makes supplying this energy increasingly difficult.

Two thirds of global electricity is generated from fossil fuels. This implies that more than 40% of global carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels stem from electricity generation. While there is p ...

Two thirds of global electricity is generated from fossil fuels. This implies that more than 40% of global carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels stem from electricity generation. While there is potential for efficiency improvements, global demand for electricity is expected to rise, which will further aggravate the problem, especially in developing countries.